


Broken One Too Many Times

by Mrs_Moony



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, M/M, Mentions of Rape, Swearing, Violence, mickey and mandy are precious and they deserve better but I just had to write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9928109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_Moony/pseuds/Mrs_Moony
Summary: When Mickey comes home and finds Mandy all bruised up and unwilling to tell him what happened, he doesn't know what to do. All he knows is that whoever did it will pay for it with their life.





	

As soon as he saw Ian entering the house, Mickey finally let his guard down. He started walking towards his own house, trying not to think too much about the smile that was starting to appear on his face. It was dark already so it wasn't like somebody could see him, but he was never the one to easily show his feelings.

He walked up to the front door, noticing that it was dark inside, too. The thought of an empty house made him happy, he really didn't want to deal with any of his siblings right now.

Once he entered the room, however, he could see that he was wrong. Mandy was sitting on a couch, stiff and unmoving, but he couldn't see her properly.

“The fuck are you doing, sitting here with the lights off? Did the bill not come through?” he tried to switch them on and the room filled with light. As he was taking off his coat, he realized that Mandy hasn't answered.

“Mandy?” he said, finally looking up at her. His whole body froze once he glanced at her. Her face was swollen and wet, but there was blood, too. And bruises – black and blue ones, spreading across the whole left side of her face.

“Jesus, what the hell happened to you?” he didn't know how to react, but it cost him all his willpower not to shout at her. The anger was making his blood boil. He had to find out who did it, he had to know so that he could kill them.

Mandy's eyes were empty when she finally looked up at him. That's when Mickey noticed the bottles lying around.

“Off,” she mumbled, obviously drunk. “The lights. Turn them off.”

Mickey ignored her and crossed the room, then sat down next to her on the couch. He didn't want to touch her face, but he had to see what the damage was.

“Shut up, Mandy. Tell me who the fuck did this to you. How long have you been sitting here?!” the anger was leaking into his voice, he couldn't help it. Mandy looked even worse once he was close enough, and he just couldn't take it.

Mickey stood up and walked to the wall. “FUCK!” he yelled as he punched it. He was breathing hard but he could still hear the breath hitching in his sister's throat. He immediately regretted what he did when he saw the fear in her face. Mandy was never afraid. She was used to violence, they all were. They were Milkoviches for fuck's sake. And most of all, she's never been afraid of him.

Mandy's eyes were still locked on his fist, so he slowly untangled it. “I'm sorry,” he said. “Mandy, Jesus, you have to talk to me. This,” he pointed at her face. “This is bad.”

“You can't do anything.”

Mickey was surprised when Mandy spoke, however quiet it was.

“What do you mean? Of course I can fucking do something! I can beat the shit out of that asshole, hell, I can put a hole through every single bone in his body. Just tell me who did it. You'll need stitches, Mandy, Jesus!” he was pacing the room, thinking about what to do next. He should probably get Mandy to a hospital but his whole body was twitching to go and kill the person who did this.

Mandy's movements were uncoordinated – she tried to stand up but fell back on the couch with a hiss, holding onto her waist. Mickey didn't care about her protests when he put her arms away and lifted her shirt up.

“Tell. Me. The. Fucking. Name.” every single word was a huge effort. He was staring at the bruises covering her middle – most of them in the shape of hands.

“Mickey… don't. I just want to sleep.” She avoided his gaze and put the shirt back on.

His mind was racing, trying to think of a way to get her to talk. He was seeing red and it was hard to concentrate on anything besides the urge to hurt. Mandy went back to stiff apathy – she looked dead, empty. He couldn't stand it.

All of a sudden, he got an idea.

_Maybe she'll talk to Ian._

They were best friends, it had to count for something, right? Even though it stung to think that she'd rather talk to someone else than him, Mickey didn't care, as long as he got the name.

Leaving Mandy alone was not an option, so he pulled out his phone and started texting.

**I need you to come to my house. Now.**

A few seconds later, he got a reply.

_Coming. Something wrong?_

He didn't bother replying, Ian would be there soon enough. He figured it wouldn't be a good idea to tell Mandy beforehand, so he went to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of God knows what from the freezer. With that and a glass of water, he returned to Mandy. He handed her the water and wordlessly and once she took it from him, he pressed the cold pack to her face.

“Fuck,” she hissed, tears glittering in her eyes. Mickey swallowed down the stream of swears and checked the time on his phone. It's been two minutes since Ian sent the text, he should be there any minute.

Mandy's hand covered his own on her face when she whispered, “thank you.”

That's when the front door opened, revealing a confused Ian. Mandy froze, her hand immediately letting go of Mickey's.

“What the fuck, Mickey?!” she tried to jump away but lost her balance and almost fell. There was a loud gasp coming from the door, and both siblings turned to Ian.

“Mandy? What happened?” he was in front of her in three long steps, but Mandy backed away as quickly as she could.

“None of your fucking business! Get the fuck out of here, both of you!” her voice was weak, the pain quickly replacing the anger.

“It's my house, Mandy, you can't throw me out! Why don't you just cut the bullshit already and tell me what the fuck happened? I swear, I'm calling the police if you won't!” All of them knew he was bluffing. The Milkovich house was not a place where you'd call the cops.

Ian was still standing there, still very much confused, but Mickey could see that he was just as angry as him. His nostrils were shaking and he looked ready to dial the number himself.

“Mandy,” Ian said, quietly this time. “You can talk to me… to us. It's okay. We can figure this out.” His voice was calming, and his words seemed to get a reaction out of Mandy. She let him approach her and a single tear started flowing down her face.

Mickey kept his distance and watched as Ian slowly lifted his hand, his eyes locked into Mandy's. He was giving her time to pull away but when she didn't, he embraced her in a gentle hug. Mickey wished he knew how to be like that. Ian was rough when it was needed, but he had a soft, gentle side, too. He knew how to treat people, how to approach them. He did for Mandy what Mickey couldn't.

“And now,” Ian mumbled into her hair. “Let's sit down and you could try to tell us what happened.”

Mandy pushed him away again, her face turning into a grimace.

“Don't you fucking get it!” she screamed. “You can't do shit! None of you can, it's fucking pointless! Why don't you just leave me alone?”

Mickey didn't get it. Their family didn't let anyone piss on them. They were the ones who hit first, who hurt first, and if somebody dared to do something like this, they would pay for it.

“Mandy, whoever did it, we can fucking destroy him,” he tried, walking up to her.

“No you can't! You can't…” she grabbed his collar, pulling him close so that their noses were almost touching. “You can't even touch him, Mickey. He's just gonna walk away from this and nothing will happen. Do you know why?”

He waited, hoping that she was gonna give up.

“You won't hurt him, Mickey. No one hurts Terry Milkovich, and especially not you.”

The words struck him and he realized he should have known. It was almost too obvious. He knew his dad would sometimes get too drunk and beat his kids, but it was never like this. He also knew that he used to confuse Mandy with their mom… But as long as he knew, that hadn't happened in a long time.

“Your dad did this to you?” Ian asked, shock written all over his face. Sure, he's heard rumours about Terry Milkovich and how he treated his kids, but he didn't know it was all true.

Mandy didn't reply, her eyes still locked into Mickey's. Her lips were shaking and Mickey knew that she was trying to keep herself from breaking down.

Then he remembered the marks on her body. “Mandy…” he started. “Why did he beat you up? He never… even when he's drunk…” he didn't want it to be true but he could see it in her eyes.

“Fuck,” he let go of her, hands fisting in his hair. He pressed his eyes closed, taking deep breaths and trying to keep himself from breaking something.

Mandy leant against the counter and shook her head. “It wasn't like that, Mick. I thought…” she glanced at Ian, biting her lip. “I thought that he'd just mistaken me for mom again but he didn't even seem drunk.” She gritted her teeth before she spoke again. “And I told him it was me. I told him, and he _smiled_. He didn't stop, it got even worse and I tried to fight him which I never do and he got angry and… fuck…”

This seemed to push her over the edge. Before Mickey could move, Ian was there, taking her into his arms again. He stood with his back to Mickey but he could see the vein pumping on Ian's neck, and how tense his shoulders were.

“Where is he.” Mickey didn't voice it as a question. His voice didn't have any emotions in it. It was cold and empty. Mandy looked up at him, her eyes widening.

“Mickey, don't. Don't even think about it.”

He ignored her completely and walked to the cabinet where they kept the guns. He started looking for a specific one, frantically throwing other things out.

Mandy grasped his forearm but he shook her hand off, frowning at her.

“You're gonna tell me where he is, _now_. Or I'm gonna find him myself, I don't care, but I'd have a way bigger chance of surviving if I actually knew where to look.” Mickey wasn't joking. He wasn't scared of almost anything except for his father. He wanted to stand up to him for years but he couldn't, the fear was always bigger than any kind of motivation he had.

But this was different. This wasn't just his life being in danger. Even though his father had hurt all of his kids before, there was always some kind of line. A line that he'd crossed now, and Mickey won't stand the thought of that man breathing for another minute.

“Please,” Mandy's voice cracked. “Please, leave him alone. He's gonna kill you, Mickey.”

“Not if I kill him first.”

They were staring at each other, unmoving. Mandy finally opened her mouth to talk, but all that came out was air. Then a sob escaped her throat and suddenly she was clutching Mickey to her. “I can't lose you,” she whispered into his ear. Mickey hugged her tightly, realizing just how much he loved his little sister. How fucking much it hurt to see her broken.

“You won't. Tell me.”

It took Mandy a few more seconds, but then she let go. “He's at the Alibi. Celebrating his release. Josh and Aaron are probably there, too.”

Mickey nodded, cursing in his head. He'd have to be quick – he had no chance against the three of them. He went back to looking for the gun when Ian approached him.

“Mick…” he cut him off before he could say something.

“You're not gonna stop me.”

“I don't want to,” Ian said. Mickey turned around, finally having found the gun. “What, then?”

Ian glanced at Mandy and there was another flash of anger on his face. “I'm going with you.”

“The hell you are.” No fucking way. What he was a about to do was close to suicide, and there's no way he's dragging anyone with him. Especially not Ian. “You're staying with Mandy.”

“I can take care of myself,” Mandy said. “But I don't want you to go. I don't want either of you to go.”

“You don't decide that.” Nothing that Mandy could say would change his mind.

That's when Ian spoke again. “Exactly, Mickey. Just like you don't decide whether I go or not. So leave it and let's get out of here.”

It made perfect sense and Ian knew that. Still, Mickey didn't like anything about it. But he just shrugged and signalled towards the cabinet.

“Fine. Grab something so we can go.”

Ian shook his head. “No, leave the gun. I've got an idea.” He turned to Mandy then. “Can I help you go to bed? Do you need something?” Her eyes glistened with tears again, and Mickey got it. She was vulnerable now, and affection was not something she was used to.

“Yeah, I'm just gonna lie down.” They left upstairs and Mickey put on his jacket, then checked the gun for bullets before shoving it behind his belt.

“I thought I told you to leave it here,” Ian's voice came from the stairs. He was walking towards Mickey, frowning.

“The fuck do I care what you say. If you wanna die that's fine but I'm not going in there with empty hands.”

“Mick,” Ian said quietly, putting his hand on Mickey's which was still holding the gun. His touch was burning holes into his skin but he pulled away. “No.”

“Can you trust me, this one time? I've got a plan.”

“You keep saying that but I haven't yet heard this fucking plan of yours.” He didn't want to give up but Ian's gaze was unbearable.

The other boy seemed to think about it for a moment before he spoke. “Look, I know why you want to kill him. I'm not saying I feel the same because she's your sister and I have no right to say that, but I've never wanted to hurt anyone this bad. For what he did to Mandy… and you. For all of it. All of you deserved better. But Mickey,” Ian's hands captured his face and the sadness in his eyes had Mickey frozen. “If we burst in there and you attack him, he's gonna win. If you shoot him, he'll die unpunished and you're gonna be arrested. That's not how it should be. You shouldn't pay for his crimes, he should be the one rotting in prison.”

Mickey avoided Ian's eyes because he was afraid. Afraid of showing how much it struck him. _All of you deserved better._

“He's been to prison a hundred times already, it's pointless. There's nothing to arrest him for, and Mandy will never tell the cops the truth.” He couldn't stop himself from thinking about the idea, but however much he wanted it, Ian's plan wasn't gonna work. And Mickey wanted the man dead at all costs.

“That's why I have a plan,” Ian said with a hint of a smile. Always a smartass.

“If you attacked him first, the police would arrest you. We have to make him attack you, possibly want to kill you. He's at the Alibi, there will be lots of witnesses. He's still on probation, right?”

Mickey nodded, his mind trying to find a hole in the plan.

“Even if I thought of something that would make him do that, he'd be back soon. And I'm gonna end up dead either way.” The good thing about killing Terry would be that he won't be able to come back and hurt any of them ever again. They'd be free.

“While he's in there, we could convince Mandy to report him. There have been rumours about it for years, and with Terry in prison, people wouldn't be afraid to talk. And if not, we'll figure something out. I promise.”

It sounded like it could work, but Mickey didn't want it to. He was still so angry. All those years of repressed emotions that were building up for so long… he couldn't just let it go. That wasn't his style.

“Ian, I… I want him dead. He doesn't deserve to breathe, and I wanna be the one to take that from him.”

Ian pulled him close and clutched his shirt. “I know you do. But he's not worth it. Without him here, you could have a chance for normal life. A life that you _deserve_. Don’t let him take that away from you.”

Mickey hated how hard it was to control his emotions, how easily his eyes started watering. He pressed his mouth on Ian's, mostly to hide his face, but also because he needed it.

“Let's go,” he mumbled after a few more seconds. He looked at the gun and then pulled it out and put it back into the cabinet. He didn't look at Ian, and the two of them walked out of the house and down the streets.

“So what are we gonna do?” Mickey asked. He hoped Terry would still be there. It's probably been a few hours and his father always preferred to sleep in his own bed.

“I'm not sure. Something that will make him lose his shit. We could humiliate him but I don't know how.” Ian seemed sorry for not being able to come up with an idea, but as soon as he said _humiliate,_ an idea popped into Mickey's head.

_No, I can't do that. That's crazy, that's…_ Perfect. The longer Mickey thought about it, the more sense it made. He thought about the night his father brought him out to give him a lesson. Terry had made him watch as he and his two friends beat a guy senseless, all because someone saw him walk out of a gay bar. Mickey was barely ten years old then, and the man's screams used to haunt him for years.

Ian was still talking, trying out ideas and apologizing but Mickey cut him off. “Hey. I know what we'll do,” he said. Ian's eyes widened in expectation. “What is it?”

Mickey didn't know whether to tell him. Maybe Ian wouldn't agree, maybe he cared about the opinions of all those people. But Mickey couldn't risk it, this was a good plan. Besides, the plan would work even without Ian's participation.

He thought about it for a while and then shook his head. “I'm not telling you. You just walk in with me and have a number dialled.” Mickey could see that Ian wanted to protest but they have already reached the Alibi.

“You coming or what?” he asked and Ian nodded. They walked in then and Mickey's eyes scanned the room for his father. For a second he thought they'd missed him, but then he spotted him in the back, talking to some woman and laughing about something Josh had said. He seemed drunk, which would make it easier to fight him.

“What now?” Ian asked, but Mickey ignored him. No one paid them any attention and Mickey took a few calming breaths.

“HEY!” he shouted, but only a few people turned around. His father, however, looked at him immediately.

“Excuse me? Can I have everybody's attention, please?” he tried to be louder this time, and finally the whole room fell silent, all eyes on him.

Mickey scanned the room again, and he dared a glance at confused Ian.

Okay, now or never. “I just want everybody here to know, I'm fucking gay. Yeah, big ol' homo.” He looked straight into his father's eyes, smiling. “Just thought that everybody should know that.” He looked at Ian who was grinning, too. Then, he did what he'd planned to do and hoped Ian would be cool with it. Mickey grabbed Ian by the collar and pulled him close. Then, when Ian didn't protest, he kissed him, his hands tangling in the red hair.

The room wasn't quiet for long. Once they've pulled away, everybody went back to their business. Mickey was surprised, but he didn't really care about the others.

The room was filled with the sound of smashing glass. Terry knocked down the table and was making his way to Mickey, roaring. “I'll fucking kill you! You son of a bitch!” Terry stormed through the room and took the first punch at Mickey's face, which was all he needed. He elbowed his father's face and pushed him away, then took a swing and smiled when he felt his fist contact with a bone.

His dad was bigger, stronger and shaking with anger, which meant he soon had Mickey pinned to the ground, his fists pounding into his face and making it into a bloody mess.

But then the weight was thrown away from Mickey, and he could see that Ian was pressing his knee to the man's neck while he was punching him. “I've wanted to do this for a while,” he said.

Mickey heard the sirens and he grabbed Ian's hand, pulling him up. He didn't want the cops to see Ian fighting. The distraction was enough for Terry to push Ian away and punch him, after which he turned back to Mickey. He only took a few more swings before the officers stormed in.

Both he and his dad were taken outside and as his face was pressed against the car, he couldn't help but laugh. He laughed so hard that it made his body hurt all over, and he almost choked on all the blood in his mouth.

“Fucking faggot! Get out of my house! You pole-smoking queer!” Terry was shouting at him from across the car, the cops struggling to hold him down.

Mickey felt suck a mixture of emotions, he didn't know how to handle it. He wanted to destroy Terry, fucking ruin him like he has ruined Mickey. This wasn't just about Mandy anymore, however much he wanted to avenge her.

“Fuck you! Don't worry about it! I've been staying at Ian's the whole time you've been in jail, bitch! Guess what we've been doing, Daddy! We've been fucking! And I take it! He gives it to me good and hard, and I fucking like it.” Once he's started, he couldn't stop. It was euphoric. “Let me go!” he yelled at the cops, now wanting to get back to beating Terry.

Terry was grunting and screaming, he looked like a mad man. “Calm down, Terry!” the cops holding him down said.

“Fuck you! I suck his dick. I fucking love it!”

“I'm gonna cut your balls in little pieces and shove them up your ass so far, you'll grow ball trees, you fuck!”

The cop seemed to have enough of Terry's constant screaming. “What's your problem, Terry? You've been out for a day and you're already into a fight? You're breaking your probation!” With that, they pushed him into the car and closed the door.

 

“And as for you,” the man that was holding Mickey down said, putting his handcuffs off.  “You're free to go.”

“What?” Mickey asked, confused. He expected to be arrested for the night, at least.

“If I arrest you, it's gonna be a lot of paperwork. Gonna keep me in the office all night. I'd rather get home to my husband, Carlos.”

And then they were gone. Mickey was watching the cars leave, not quite believing it yet. He spotted Ian in the crowd – he looked exactly how Mickey felt. There was blood on his face and in his hair… Mickey felt a bit guilty because Ian didn't have to be there, didn't have to fight.

“I need a drink,” Ian said, throwing an arm around Mickey's shoulders.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Me too.”

 

 

_Three months later_

 

Every time Mickey entered his own home, it seemed a bit cleaner. And less stuffed. Almost looked like it was suitable for humans to live in.

He dropped the bags on the floor and went upstairs with a package for Mandy. She forced him to go and get her some painkillers (along with a ton of other stuff), which he complained about for ten minutes straight, though actually he was glad he could help. Ian has been with her ever since they got from the clinic. The doctors said that the pain is normal after having an abortion.

“Fucking finally. What took you so long, asshole?!” She grunted loudly as she sat up, already holding her hand out for the pill.

“Shut up and swallow it or I won't give you any,” he said without the usual edge in his voice. This whole situation has been terrifying. It's not every day that your sisterjust had an abortion after your father had raped her. 

“Fine, fine. I'm gonna take a nap so get out of here.” She took the pills and, hissing, laid back down. Ian took the glass from her and covered her with a blanket, then kissed her cheek before following Mickey out.

They went to the kitchen and Ian started making coffee. He's been practically living there these past few months, even got along with the other Milkoviches, and even though Mickey would always complain about something Ian did, he was happy to have him there. It's been tough after Mandy found out she was pregnant, and the process of convincing her to turn him in was even worse.

Somehow, Ian made it. It had something to the with the pregnancy, but Mickey didn't know much. Mandy didn't want to talk to him about it and Ian respected her privacy.

Terry was being interrogated about child abuse and sexual assault, and once someone finally stood up and reported Terry Milkovich for something, the others seemed to have grown some balls, too. There were reports coming from all directions and there was no way he was gonna get out of jail anytime soon.

“Here,” Ian handed him the coffee and then took a sip of his own.

“Jesus, it's been boiling two seconds ago, isn't your mouth burning?” Mickey was horrified but Ian just shrugged, smirking.

“Kiss it better?”

_Yeah,_ Mickey thought. _That, I can do._

 

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Tom Odell's "Another Love", and I used some original dialogue from s4e11.  
> It's my first fic for this fandom and I plan on writing more so tell me what you think!! I fell in love with this series and especially Mandy and Mickey, and I wanted to write a happy fic about their relationship, but, of course, it turned into angst like all my other fics.  
> Any mistakes are my own.


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